Embarrassingly for the Regime, theses open secrets have not confined themselves to the Gulf state but spread like wildfire throughout the world. However, these divisions do not extend to any real change in the Regime; it’s merely political mudslinging in a grab for power.
At first, this election looked like an easy win for incumbent Hassan Rouhani, as all incumbent elections in the country have been, but rising poverty (despite the lifting of international sanctions), increased crackdowns on basic freedoms, and the highest rate of executions per capita in the world, means that the Iranian people are not happy with him or the Regime.
Mehdi Khalaji, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy, said: “In tragedy when clerics are supposed to sympathise with ordinary people, they don’t. This has widened the gap between people and the clerics.”
Last Sunday, when Rouhani visited the site of a mine explosion that killed 42 people, he was met by a crowd of protesters who attacked his car. Although the crowd did not harm him (and did not significant damage to his car), this demonstrates how the public feels about him.
Other Candidates
The other candidates are in no way better.
Former President– and Holocaust-denier- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was a contender for a while until he was officially disqualified because he dared to go against the Supreme Leader and not because of numerous threats to Israel.
Ebrahim Raisi, a member of the 1988 Death Commissions which signed the death warrants of 30,000 political prisoners (mainly members of The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK)), tried to blame a car bombing on the MEK.
Let’s be clear, none of the candidates will bring change that will improve the lives of ordinary Iranians or lessen the negative impact that Iran’s support for terrorism and expansionist military plans have on the world.
The Iranian Regime is still (and will still be) headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is the one who has the final say on state matters (both foreign and domestic) and ultimately who chooses the candidates for president.
The only difference is that the whole world is privy to the secrets of the mullahs now.
The real opposition
The Regime as a whole is remarkably unpopular within Iran, and the only true opposition (the MEK) is not allowed to run a candidate for election.
If we want change in Iran, we must support the Resistance and their leader Maryam Rajavi, who has a 10-point plan for a secular, democratic Iran.
